Posted on 03/01/2025 1:55:25 PM PST by nickcarraway
Jimmy Page and Brian May have both warned about artificial intelligence's potential to destroy art and bankrupt artists financially and spiritually, echoing recent exhortations made by Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi and many more musicians.
May voiced his concerns in support of the Daily Mail's campaign against the U.K. Labour Party's AI copyright proposal, which would allow tech companies to use existing copyrighted material to train AI unless the rights holders opt out.
Although Page did not explicitly reference any such campaign, he shared a lengthy and impassioned statement on Facebook in which he stressed the importance of "defending the sanctity of human creativity against the encroachment of AI" in order to "safeguard not just the rights of artists, but the very soul of our cultural heritage."
Brian May's AI Fears: 'The Future Is Already Forever Changed'
Although May supported the Daily Mail's campaign against the British government's AI copyright proposal, he also expressed fear that it might be too late to stop AI proponents from steamrolling over copyright laws and taking advantage of artists.
"My fear is that it's already too late – this theft has already been performed and is unstoppable, like so many incursions that the monstrously arrogant billionaire owners of Al and social media are making into our lives," May told the publication last week. "The future is already forever changed."
He continued: "But I applaud this campaign to make the public aware of what is being lost. I hope it succeeds in putting a brake on, because if not, nobody will be able to afford to make music from here on in."
READ MORE: Top 10 Brian May Queen Songs
Jimmy Page Implores Others to 'Celebrate and Preserve the Human Touch in Art'
Page took a more personal approach in his denunciation of AI, reflecting on his early days as a session musician and eventual world domination as a member of Led Zeppelin. He called his grueling early session days "a crucible of creativity, collaboration, and ceaseless inspiration," during which he "was required to create and conjure riffs and lyrical figures immediately without slowing down the momentum of the work being recorded with the other musicians and the artist."
"This journey from the anonymity of session work to the global stages with Led Zeppelin was not a path paved by algorithms or data sets," Page continued. "It was a voyage marked by spontaneous improvisation and the unquantifiable spark of human ingenuity. The alchemy that transformed a unique riff into an anthem was etched into the collective soul of the band — a synergy that no machine can emulate."
Page further dismissed AI-generated art as "hollow echoes, devoid of the struggles, triumphs, and soul that define true artistry." He added that "when AI scrapes the vast tapestry of human creativity to generate content, it often does so without consent, attribution, or compensation. This is not innovation; it’s exploitation."
The guitarist noted that if somebody had taken his work without credit or compensation, "it would have been deemed theft. The same standard must apply to AI." Therefore, he added, "We must champion policies that protect artists, ensuring that their work isn’t siphoned off into the void of machine learning without due regard. Let us celebrate and preserve the human touch in art — the imperfections, the emotions, the stories behind every note and cadence."
Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi and Other Rockers Who Have Vocally Opposed AI
In a January interview with the BBC, McCartney also opposed the U.K. government's AI proposals and demanded that the government support artists. "We're the people, you're the government! You're supposed to protect us. That's your job," he said. "So you know, if you're putting through a bill, make sure you protect the creative thinkers, the creative artists, or you're not gonna have them."
Last year, more than 200 artists also signed a letter from the Artist Rights Alliance that called on AI developers to change their approach to how music is used with the technology, referring to the current training models as an “assault on human creativity.”
The letter — signed by the likes of Pearl Jam, Bon Jovi, R.E.M., Peter Frampton, Elvis Costello, Stevie Wonder and many more — warned that "Al will set in motion a race to the bottom that will degrade the value of our work and prevent us from being fairly compensated for it."
As with much of Jimmy Page’s musical abilities, his admonition is artistic and passionate.
Of course, his detractors will always claim he appropriated material from other artists during his own career without attribution. But always keep in mind that whatever inspiration Led Zeppelin took from the historic blues greats, they always advanced the material and took it to a new and modern sonic landscape.
And as such, their contribution to the history of music is inescapably original.
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